Kiddushin, Daf Mem, Part 6

 

Introduction

Today s section concludes our long chapter perhaps the longest in the Talmud. It opens with a new mishnah.

 

מתני׳ כל שישנו במקרא ובמשנה ובדרך ארץ לא במהרה הוא חוטא שנאמר (קהלת ד, יב) והחוט המשולש לא במהרה ינתק וכל שאינו לא במקרא ולא במשנה ולא בדרך ארץ אינו מן היישוב

 

He who is familiar with Bible, Mishnah, and the ways of the land will not easily sin, as it is said, And a threefold cord is not quickly broken (Ecclesiastes 4:12).

But he who is not familiar with Bible, Mishnah and the ways of the land does not belong to civilization.

 

To be a part of civilized Jewish society one must be both learned and take part in worldly activities, namely work. Occupation with the study of both written and oral Torah, accompanied by a livelihood provides a person with a culture which will prevent him from sinning. One who is not engaged in all three is not considered to be civilized. In another words, in the eyes of the rabbis, such a person is a barbarian.

 

גמ׳ אמר רבי אלעזר ברבי צדוק למה צדיקים נמשלים בעולם הזה לאילן שכולו עומד במקום טהרה ונופו נוטה למקום טומאה נקצץ נופו כולו עומד במקום טהרה כך הקב"ה מביא יסורים על צדיקים בעולם הזה כדי שיירשו העולם הבא שנאמר (איוב ח, ז) והיה ראשיתך מצער ואחריתך ישגה מאד

 

GEMARA. R. Elazar son of R. Zadok said: To what are the righteous compared in this world? To a tree standing wholly in a place of purity, but whose branches overhang a place of impurity; when the branches are lopped off, it stands entirely in a place of purity. Thus the Holy One, blessed be He, brings suffering upon the righteous in this world, in order that they may inherit the future world, as it is said, And though your beginning is small, yet your latter end shall greatly increase (Job 8:7).

 

Suffering is brought upon the righteous in this world so that they will inherit their full portion in the world to come. Their trunk, which I would say is their essence, stands already in the world to come. Only their branches overhang into this world, the world of impurity.

 

ולמה רשעים דומים בעולם הזה לאילן שכולו עומד במקום טומאה ונופו נוטה למקום טהרה נקצץ נופו כולו עומד במקום טומאה כך הקב"ה משפיע להן טובה לרשעים בעולם הזה כדי לטורדן ולהורישן למדריגה התחתונה שנאמר (משלי יד, יב) יש דרך ישר לפני איש ואחריתה דרכי מות

 

And to what are the wicked compared in this world? To a tree standing wholly in a place of impurity, but whose branches overhang a place of purity. When the branches are lopped off, it stands entirely in a place of impurity. Thus the Holy One, blessed be He, makes them prosper in this world, in order to destroy and consign them to the lowest rung, for it is said: There is a way which seems right to man, But at the end of it are the ways of death (Proverbs 14:12).

 

The opposite is true of the wicked.

 

וכבר היה רבי טרפון וזקנים מסובין בעלית בית נתזה בלוד נשאלה שאילה זו בפניהם תלמוד גדול או מעשה גדול

נענה רבי טרפון ואמר מעשה גדול

נענה ר"ע ואמר תלמוד גדול

נענו כולם ואמרו תלמוד גדול שהתלמוד מביא לידי מעשה

 

R. Tarfon and the Elders were once reclining in the upper chamber of the house of Nitza in Lod, when this question was raised before them: Is study greater, or practice?

R. Tarfon answered, saying: Practice is greater.

R. Akiba answered saying: Study is greater, for it leads to practice.

They answered and said: Study is greater, for it leads to action.

 

Study is greater than practice, but not inherently. It is only greater than practice because it leads to practice. It would seem that study that does not lead to practice is not greater.

תניא רבי יוסי אומר גדול תלמוד שקדם לחלה ארבעים שנה לתרומות ולמעשרות חמשים וארבע לשמיטים ששים ואחת ליובלות מאה ושלש מאה

ושלש מאה וארבע הויין קסבר יובל מתחילתו הוא משמט

 

It was taught: R. Yose said: Great is learning, since it preceded hallah by forty years, terumoth and tithes by fifty-four years, sabbatical years by sixty-one, and jubilees by one hundred and three.

One hundred and three? But it was actually a hundred and four!

He holds that Jubilee effects a release at the beginning of the year.

 

The Torah was given when Israel left Sinai. Hallah, the mitzvah to give a part of the dough to the priest, only began when Israel entered the land, forty years later. The obligation to separate tithes and terumah began when Israel conquered and settled the land another 14 years later. The first sabbatical year came only seven years later, 61 years after the giving of the Torah And only then did they begin to count the Jubilee years, so according to R. Yose s method, this mitzvah was observed only 103 years later. Thus Torah study preceded the full observance of many mitzvoth by many years.

 

וכשם שהלימוד קודם למעשה כך דינו קודם למעשה כדרב המנונא דאמר רב המנונא אין תחילת דינו של אדם אלא על דברי תורה שנאמר (משלי יז, יד) פוטר מים ראשית מדון

וכשם שדינו קודם למעשה כך שכרו קודם למעשה שנאמר (תהלים קה, מד) ויתן להם ארצות גוים ועמל לאומים יירשו בעבור ישמרו חקיו ותורותיו ינצורו

 

And just as learning preceded practice, so does the judgment [for learning] precede [the judgment] for practice, in accordance with R. Hamnuna. For R. Hamnuna said: The beginning of a person s judgment is only over Torah study, for it is said: The beginning of judgment is as one let s out water (Proverbs 17:14).

And just as the judgment for study takes precedence over that of practice, so it does for reward, as it is said: And he gave them the lands of nations; and they took the labor of the people in possession: that they might keep His statutes, and observe His laws (Psalms 105:44).

 

When one is judged in the world to come, he is first judged on how much Torah study he engaged in. The verse from Proverbs refers to water, which is often a code word for Torah study.

One is also first rewarded for his Torah study. The verse from Psalms refers first to God s statute, which was understood earlier as a reference to Torah study.

 

כל שאינו לא במקרא ולא במשנה

א"ר יוחנן ופסול לעדות

 

But he who is not familiar with Bible, Mishnah [and the ways of the land does not belong to civilization]:

R. Yohanan said: And he is disqualified from serving as a witness.

 

R. Yohanan gives some teeth to the Mishnah to serve as a witness one must be fully cultivated through learning and deed.

 

ת"ר האוכל בשוק הרי זה דומה לכלב

ויש אומרים פסול לעדות

אמר רב אידי בר אבין הלכה כיש אומרים

 

Our Rabbis taught: He who eats in the market-place is like a dog;

And there are those who say that he is disqualified from serving as a witness.

R. Idi b. Abin said: The halakhah agrees with there are those who say.

 

The rabbis perceive one who eats in the shuk as acting in a barbaric, animalistic manner. While today it is common for Western people to eat in public, we should note that in some ancient cultures, eating was a more intimate private act. One who performs intimate acts in public is not fit to testify because he lacks culture.

 

דרש בר קפרא רגזן לא עלתה בידו אלא רגזנותא ולאדם טוב מטעימים אותו מפרי מעשיו

 

Bar Kappara taught: A bad tempered man gains nothing but his temper; but a good man is fed with the fruit of his deeds.

 

Nothing beneficial comes from anger.

 

וכל שאינו לא במקרא ולא במשנה ולא בדרך ארץ דור הנאה ממנו שנאמר (תהלים א, א) ובמושב לצים לא ישב מושבו מושב לצים

 

And he who lacks Bible, Mishnah and the ways of the land, one should vow not to benefit from him, as it is said: Nor sits in the seat of the scoffers (Psalms 1:1): his seat is the seat of scoffers.

 

One should have no part with a person who is not learned of both Torah and the ways of the land. Such a person is not worthy of association.

 

הדרן עלך האשה נקנית

 

May we return to you chapter a woman is acquired.

 

Wow. Just wow! Congratulations on completing what I m pretty sure is the longest chapter in the Talmud. We began this chapter way back in November. It surely contains some fascinating and difficult material, both intellectually and emotionally. I hope you have enjoyed learning it, that you feel that you have grown Jewishly, that your understanding of Jewish law and text has grown, and that you re ready to move on next week to chapter two!